


Everything

by morningssofgold



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Angst/Drama, Comfort/Angst, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23584888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morningssofgold/pseuds/morningssofgold
Summary: What she’d shared with Malcolm earlier had been hard, voicing those feelings had been hard but looking at her loves together like this, she knew she needed nothing else. She’d thought she paid a price for having everything but she knew now that wasn’t true. Her loves were hers. Dani was Zahra’s mom and Malcolm’s wife. She didn’t have to be anything else for anyone else.Malcolm and Dani work through old hurt and a new life together as only partners can.A multi-chapter fic
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/ Dani Powell
Comments: 21
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Yeah, never been good at trusting_   
>  _But there's something 'bout you I'm in love with _  
>  _I say that I'm fine, but you know that I'm lying_  
>  _You read between all the lines_  
>  _Love the way you pay attention_  
>  _You notice everything…_  
>  _Everything // Ella Mai & John Legend_  
> __

“Is she asleep?” Malcolm asked as he watched his wife tiptoe out of Zahra’s nursery. 

“Yeah and hopefully, she’ll stay that way through the night.” Dani replied with a smile as Malcolm looped an arm around her tiny waist as they made their way to the kitchen.

It has been nearly five months since the day, June 30th, that changed their lives forever.

Malcolm remembered that day starting like any other. Their doctor had given them a due date of July 7th and he’d left Dani camped out on the couch reading _Suttree_ , one of the many Cormac McCarthy books–a novelist they’d bonded over long ago–that he had in his expansive personal library. 

He’d gone up to his study to get some work done. As Dani got closer to delivering their daughter, Malcolm had been staying home with her–opting to work remotely. Skyping in whenever his presence was required. 

Malcolm knew his ability to do his job at the level he was known for, depended on him physically being able to hypothesize the situation but he couldn’t do that right then and the man their daughter would call Grandpa understood.

Just as he was looking through the new CSU photos Gil had sent to his laptop, he heard Dani call out to him, “ _Bright!_ ” 

He didn’t miss the panic coating the edges of her voice and he’d rushed down the stairs, seeing Dani’s pretty face tight with alarm. “This is happening,” she gasped as she tried to maneuver off of the couch, cradling her almost exactly nine months pregnant belly.

“ _What do you mean? We have another week!_ ” Malcolm said, starting to panic himself, suddenly feeling transported back to the time he’d been on his knees holding that unstable landmine. Dani looked just as petrified now as she did then.

“Obviously not because _my water broke_!” Dani said through her teeth and Malcolm realized he’d froze just like he had back then. 

Hurrying to help his wife off of the couch, his mind started to recalibrate and he realized that they were actually prepared. 

Dani had made sure their bags were packed with everything they’d need during their hospital stay as well as a fully stocked diaper bag for Zahra and Malcolm had made sure Dani had several ice packs and pillows for when they came home. He’d been reading extensively about postpartum care and he knew she’d need them.

“Okay, we’ve got this. Our bags are in the car. I’ll call the hospital,” Malcolm said feigning a calm he most definitely didn’t feel as he wrapped his arm around his very frazzled wife, hoping to reassure her as he grabbed his phone and her oversized black Celine purse on their way out of the door. “And also Gil.”

If they were both going to get through this, they’d needed the one person they could depend on to keep cool regardless of the situation.

–––––––––––––––––

Gil had met them at the hospital and from the thinly veiled hysteria in Malcolm’s voice, he knew this would be a unique challenge but he was more than ready as this would truly be where he earned his Grandpa stripes. 

“Alright, so this is how it’s gonna be. We’re gonna keep Powell calm and coax the kid outta there nice and easy.” Malcolm could only stare at his surrogate father who appeared to be under the impression that this was a hostage negotiation.

Gil had held Powell’s hand, trying to keep her relaxed, coaching her through what was the biggest moment of her life. He’d been incredibly patient, knowing how scary this was for her. 

Gil had soothingly let Powell know she had this and that it was nothing. He’d known many cops over his tenure at the NYPD but very few tougher than the young woman next to him. She could handle this no problem. However, Gil had been far less patient with Bright.

“Bright, if you tap out on her, you’re out of a job, you hear me?” Gil threatened after Powell went through a particularly rough round of contractions that made her groan in agony and Bright hyperventilate. “Get over here and hold her hand. _Now_.”

Gil couldn’t understand how someone who barely batted an eye at some of the goriest, most stomach churning crime scenes imaginable, practically needed an epidural himself to keep it together during the birth of _his_ kid and Gil didn’t have time for it. He’d made it very clear that if Bright ended up on the floor, the floor was where he would stay.

That said, dealing with those two and their incessant bickering in between Powell’s contractions with her at one point shouting through tears at her husband, “You did this to me! I hate you!” and Bright defensively replying with “I didn’t mean to!” had been the ultimate test of Gil’s patience, despite being used to Bright/Powell-Bright shenanigans. That said, it was absolutely worth it when he got to hold his precious Granddaughter for the first time. 

––––––––––––––––

Malcolm couldn’t have been more thankful for his boss showing up for him the way he did–the way he had since he was ten years old. He remembered Dani’s final push and the bloodcurdling scream that would’ve haunted him if it hadn’t been followed by the tiny cries of his daughter.

That moment had been unlike any other he could’ve imagined. From the first moment Dani had told him she was pregnant, Malcolm had wondered what this would be like. How would he feel, knowing that after being marked by death since childhood that this was empirical evidence that he helped give life. 

This had been proof that Malcolm was in fact more than Martin Whitly’s son. He was Zahra Bright’s father. That knowledge was truly indescribable. Malcolm had never been known to be short on words but just then he had none. All he had was that _feeling_. 

He’d watched as the nurse placed a pink blanketed little bundle into Dani’s arms and Zahra’s cries quieted instantly the moment she reunited with her mother after growing and developing within her for a little less than nine months. Malcolm took in his wife’s face as tears ran freely down her cheeks, gazing down at their little girl with an expression that held an absolute and utmost _love_.

Malcolm wrapped an arm around Dani’s shoulders, pressing his face into her hair as he cried–as he sobbed. He could’t believe that this had actually happened. Dani was holding his child. For so long, he’d thought himself to be hopelessly unworthy of her and it had led to him nearly losing her altogether but here she was–here they were. _His girls_.

He also remembered not feeling ready to hold Zahra just yet. Malcolm wasn’t ready to come to terms with how _real_ this was. He was entirely grateful but overwhelmed. This little person would call him _Daddy_. _Him_. Someone who swore he wasn’t dad material. 

He’d watched as everyone in the room got their time with his daughter. By the time she got to his mother, who also seemed to be in disbelief that this was real; Zahra started crying again and Dani looked up at him, her dark eyes as luminous as he’d ever seen them. 

Dani looked utterly exhausted, her cheeks were flushed and damp with tears and her curls stuck to her temples due to the light sheen of sweat on her forehead but he’d never seen _anyone_ more beautiful. 

“Bright…it’s your turn,” she said smiling softly. Dani knew. She always did and she always had. It was one of the things about her that had scared him most once upon a time, her ability to always see him. She knew what he was feeling right then because she could see it on his face–she read all of his expressions just as he read everyone else’s. 

Malcolm slowly went to his mother, his heart beating as rapidly as he could ever remember when he took his daughter off Jessica’s hands, awestruck when Zahra’s insistent cries quieted instantly. Her perfect little face was the picture of calm as he settled her in his arms.

“ _How…?_ ” He’d barely been able to speak as he reclaimed his spot beside Dani, still lost in the feeling of holding his daughter for the first time.

“Remember the first time you spoke to her? That day I told you? She knows you. She always has,” Dani said looking up at him once more, her big brown eyes refilling with the happiest tears at the sight of her entire heart together as one for the first time.

Malcolm did remember. He remembered that day very well. He hadn’t been able to believe what Dani was telling him–that she was pregnant. 

He’d never even thought it to be within the realm of possibility–not with the incredible amount of medication including antipsychotics he took on a daily basis in order to give him some semblance of human-like function. Truthfully and shamefully, Malcolm had always thought that area would be yet another way he failed at being a normal husband for Dani–not that he actually believed she’d want to carry his progeny. Another _Whitly_. 

He’d been wrong–about _everything_. That conversation happened exactly four months before their first anniversary and he couldn’t miss how _happy_ Dani was at the idea of being a mom.

Despite his wife never telling him, having a child was what she’d always wanted and despite his utter fear at the possibility, it was truly what he’d always wanted too, even if he hadn’t been able to admit it to himself. 

Malcolm remembered dropping to his knees, holding his wife close as he introduced himself to their child as her dad for the first time. He’d also kissed Dani’s flat stomach through the thin beige blouse she’d worn. 

Malcolm had been terrified of this new development but he’d hoped that their child could feel the love he had for her already–the love he’d felt instantly and it seemed like she had. 

–––––––––––––––––––––

Thinking back to the present, everything had shifted into something that resembled normalcy. Malcolm and Dani had no one to help them through the transition of becoming new parents. He knew his mother wouldn’t exactly be the type of person that Dani would welcome during that time and Malcolm wanted this to be as easy a process as possible so he’d largely left Jessica out of it. 

Despite having to go it alone, they both soon realized that they really didn’t need anyone else. Neither of them had ever had experience with infants before, but their partnership extended to all things, including parenthood and they figured it out. With Dani’s instincts and Malcolm’s ability to problem solve, when it came to their little girl; all they’d needed was each other.

That said, after almost five months later, things really had gone back to normal with Dani back at work, oscillating between Detective Powell and Detective Mommy once at home. 

Truthfully, Malcolm found himself missing her. It had been awhile since they’d spent time together just the two of them that had nothing to do with Zahra or work and he’d been hatching a plan to remedy that. The hard part would be getting Dani to agree.

As he watched his wife fill the tea pot for her nightly Earl Grey, he thought that now would be as good a time as any to ask what had been on his mind recently. “Hey, what do you think about getting away this weekend, just the two of us?”

Dani turned to him with a raised brow but by the little half smile pulling at the edge of her full lips, he could tell her curiosity was piqued as she turned her attention back to her tea. “What did you have in mind?”

Malcolm bit his lip, excited that she was willing to go along with this. He’d been a little nervous as neither of them had ever been away from Zahra for longer than a work day before and he wasn’t sure how Mama Bear would react. “Okay, I was thinking we spend a day in Boston. Just Saturday to Sunday. I mean, we could go to Cambridge and I can show you where I spent six years of my life. We could have lunch at the Seaport and dinner at the top of the Prudential Tower.”

Dani smiled as she poured loose tea into an infuser. “That sounds amazing.”

Malcolm wrapped his arms around Dani’s waist from behind, his hands coming to rest on her once again flat stomach. “I know, right?!”

“But who’s gonna watch Zahra? You know Gil can’t do it because we’re super busy right now and Ainsley told me about this big expose she’s working on.”

“Please tell me it’s not another interview with my father,” Malcolm said dryly, remembering how much trouble the first one caused for all of them.

Dani snorted as she steeped her tea, “No, I think it has something to do with insider trading or something but still, we don’t have a babysitter.”

Malcolm knew this was the moment where everything concerning his perfect weekend getaway could potentially go left as Dani would say. “Uh…we do actually. My mother…”

Dani turned in his arms, all trace of his wife’s good humor vanished from her pretty face and Malcolm knew he’d have to tread very carefully. 

He’d thought Dani and his mother had buried the hatchet on the morning of their wedding when she gave Dani his grandmother’s necklace but no more overtures had been made between them–in fact things had gotten decidedly frostier. His mother continued to act like _his mother_ and Dani’s disdain for it grew more pronounced with every unexpected appearance his mother made to the apartment and every family dinner she hosted.

Malcolm had tried to keep everything between the two of them pleasant whenever they came face to face but with Dani being a new mom and her hormones still leaving her in a potentially precarious emotional state, Malcolm didn’t want to trouble his wife in any way. They hadn’t been over to his family home since Zahra was born and he’d made it abundantly clear that unexpected popups weren’t welcome. 

“No, out of the question, Bright.” Dani’s expression screamed _case closed_ but Malcolm wasn’t willing to give up on their trip just yet.

“ _Darling_ , come on.” Malcolm whined, knowing it wouldn't get him anywhere but unable to help it.

“Don’t _‘darling’_ me, Bright. It’s not happening.” Dani couldn’t believe her husband would suggest something so outlandish. Of course, she missed him too and she would love nothing more than to get away for a bit just the two of them but what _she_ wanted didn’t come first anymore. Only their daughter’s safety and security. “It’s not that I don’t want to and we can still go to Boston but just not right now. Things aren’t like they used to be.”

“I know that but like why can’t my mother watch her?”

Dani’s brows raised in disbelief. “Your mother drinks scotch for breakfast and carries barbiturates in her purse. You think I’m gonna trust her with my daughter?”

“Dani, she’s my daughter too.” At the crossing of his wife’s arms and the flattening of her lips, Malcolm knew that was the wrong thing to say as Dani was seconds away from pointedly reminding him just exactly whose body Zahra came out of. “I mean, you know Zahra’s safety is my first priority and I would go to the ends of the earth to protect her. But I mean, my mother raised Ains and I and we turned out fine.”

“ _Fine?_ ” A humorless laugh escaped Dani’s lips that honestly sounded a bit frightening. “Well let’s see. You were drugged repeatedly at nine years old under your own roof and your mother had _no idea_. Ainsley told me about Mr. Boots. Your mother thought he was her imaginary friend. He wasn’t. Oh, and Mr. Boots, an actual close personal friend of your father’s that your mother also had _no idea_ about, came back to kidnap and _torture_ you underneath your own house. Then, there’s our _good friend_ , the girl in the box. _Do you remember her_?”

“I don’t. I don’t know who that is.” Malcolm said quickly, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed. Dani rolled her eyes. “Okay…point made. My mother was decidedly asleep at the wheel back then but you know, none of that could happen now, especially not within a span of 24 hours.”

“I’m not taking that chance with my child, Bright.” Dani replied flatly. This conversation was over as far as she was concerned.

“But I bought you a dress to wear to dinner…” Dani followed Malcolm into the living room as he produced two black shopping bags with the words _Saint Laurent_ stamped on the front. “I was gonna surprise you but…”

Dani narrowed her eyes. Jessica was still not watching her daughter but despite herself, she _was_ interested in this dress Malcolm had apparently picked out for her. She reached into the first bag, pulling out a box. She lifted the lid and unwrapped the black tissue paper, finding an incredibly cute white mini dress. The other box had a matching jacket the same length as the dress. 

Her heart couldn’t help but swell at her husband’s thoughtfulness and how well he knew what she’d like. Dani sighed as she cupped Malcolm’s stubbled cheek. “Babe, I love it. Thank you and I can’t wait to wear it but…some other time. Okay?”

“Okay…” Malcolm agreed reluctantly, leaning in for a kiss which Dani happily acquiesced to. 

He knew Dani would never bend when it came to his mother watching Zahra. He also knew that there had to be more to it than just Zahra’s safety and he’d get to the bottom of that as well but first, he was going to make this trip happen. He just had to get creative.


	2. Chapter 2

“Ains, I need a _huge_ favor.” Malcolm said lowly over the phone, trying to avoid Gil’s notice as he was supposed to be crafting his profile and this decidedly was not that.

“Well, hello to you too, big brother.” Ainsley said dryly as Malcolm only tended to call her when he needed something or something insane was happening with their family. 

“Can you watch Zahra this weekend?” Malcolm asked, not even bothering with pleasantries.

“I would love to watch my peanut.” Ainsley cooed using the nickname she’d given to her niece since birth. “But I can’t. I have this massive story I’m working on.”

“Will you be going into the office on Saturday?”

“No but–" 

“Perfect! You can totally watch Zahra this weekend.” Malcolm said as he was completely unwilling to take no for an answer. He needed this trip and he was going to get it.

Ainsley sighed heavily. “Fine but I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for my peanut and my peanut only.”

“Great! We’ll drop her off at your place Saturday morning.”

“I look forward to it but…it’s gonna cost you…” Ainsley replied deviously knowing she had her brother right where she wanted him. She would’ve babysat her niece anyway but Malcolm had made this so easy. “Nobody rides for free, dingus.”

Malcolm closed his eyes, feeling the tension headache already starting to form between his brows. This had been going far too smoothly. He should’ve known his demonic little sister had some sort of ace in the hole and he knew whatever Ainsley’s demands were, he was not going to like them. “What do you want?”

“I’m glad you asked. We haven’t exactly seen your face at weekly family dinner in awhile so I want one month.”

Malcolm frowned. “Ains, I can’t. I have _responsibilities_ now. I can't exactly up and leave whenever I want.”

“Dani’s the one nursing–not you, dingus.” Malcolm could hear his sister rolling her eyes over the line. “I don’t care if you come solo and the fam bam stays at home. Mom and I staring at each other for an hour and a half, is _not working_.”

“Deal.” Malcolm agreed now rolling _his_ eyes. It wasn’t that he disliked going over to his family home for dinner. He just disliked how obviously unhappy it made Dani and he also disliked how Ainsley had so obviously conned him. 

Despite his sister’s wheeling and dealing, he had a suitable babysitter in his wife’s eyes and that was all that mattered, especially as he saw said wife stepping into the conference room. 

In her thin navy sweater and high waisted black jeans complete with gun harness and no nonsense attitude, Dani looked like the Detective Powell he’d met on his very first day on the job. Back then, he’d thought her to be beautiful albeit prickly. Malcolm never would’ve believed that the tough Bronx cop would end up being the mother of his child and the center of his universe.

“Guess what? Ainsley agreed to babysit for us this weekend.” Malcolm said, shifting in his chair to face her.

Dani’s carefully groomed brows raised incredulously, a smirk playing at her nude painted lips as she took her customary seat atop the conference room table. “You finessed the hell out of this, didn’t you?” 

_Yes he did._ “Only a small amount of finessing was required but Ainsley will be happy to do it.”

“I guess then, it’s a date.” Dani smiled as her dimples appeared, leaning over to give him a kiss. The two of them laughing at the sound of Gil clearing his throat loudly from the doorway.

––––––––––––––––

As soon as Malcolm excitedly told her that their weekend trip to Boston was back on, Dani immediately started thinking about what Zahra would need for a stay at her Aunt’s. She set Zahra on her play mat, her baby girl content to play with the light up toys overhead while her mother went about packing her things.

Zahra had never been overnight anywhere and Dani wasn’t entirely sure what she’d need. Her diaper bag was always stocked and Dani got the monogrammed Louis Vuitton weekender Malcolm had ordered for their daughter with _Zahra Elizabeth Jacqueline Bright_ written in script across the shoulder strap and a unicorn painted on the front, out of her closet. Putting four different outfits into the bag before adding a fifth just incase as well as the matching socks and pajamas.

Dani quickly went over to the shelf beside Zahra’s elaborate white crib as her nursery was designed in white and tones of monochromatic pink, an incredible contrast with the rest of the apartment. Zahra had several blankets but Dani immediately selected the soft yellow one with the little elephants embroidered on the bottom–a gift from Grandpa–putting it in the bag with the rest of the Zahra’s clothes.

As she ducked back into the closet for another bag, this one for Zahra’s toys, Dani couldn’t help but be struck by the fact that this was her life now. She was a _mom_. She never expected that she would be. Dani remembered when they’d brought Zahra home for the first time. 

Malcolm had placed Zahra’s baby carrier basket on top of the kitchen island and Dani had gazed down into the angelic little face of her slumbering daughter. 

Zahra was _her_ responsibility. It was on _her_ to always have the right answers. To always know what to do and the problem was that Dani didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know _how_ to be a mom. What if she screwed up? What if she failed at it? What if she let down this little girl who counted on her?

Before Dani knew what was happening, she’d started sobbing uncontrollably. She knew it was likely her hormones at work too but she’d never felt so _overwhelmed_. She was known for her intense preparation, that was what made her such a good detective but she hadn’t been prepared for this. 

She hated showing weakness but her husband didn’t judge her for a moment. Dani remembered the tenderness in his ice blue eyes that only made her cry more as he cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. Somehow he knew what she was feeling without her having to say it. He always did.

“Darling, you’re going to be the most amazing mom. You already are,” Malcolm had told her gently as he wiped away her tears.

“I just...I don’t know what to do, Bright.” Dani had admitted, her voice breaking. She’d hated that for once, she didn’t have the answers especially when she'd needed them most.

Malcolm brushed her curls out of her face, before bringing her closer to him. His thumb softly stroking the arc of her cheekbone. “Of course, you do. You give love and I know from personal experience, that’s all you know how to do. Everything in between, we’ll figure it out together.”

And they had. 

Malcolm had spent nearly every day of her three month leave with her. Though she already trusted him with her life, after their time spent together just the two of them and the little person they loved more than life itself, Dani knew that no matter what, they could face _anything_ and _everything_ together.

Honestly, the three of them spent so much time together, Dani had gotten really used to it. On the one rare day when her husband’s physical presence was absolutely necessary for their case and him Skyping in wouldn’t suffice, Dani had actually made the short trip over to the precinct to visit him.

If anyone were to ask her, Dani would’ve said that she’d simply gotten bored at home by herself as Malcolm had left the apartment before daybreak and he’d texted her saying he loved her and he likely wouldn’t be home until late. Dani would never admit that she was actually starting to get separation anxiety from her husband too because that was embarrassing and also Malcolm’s ego was big enough.

“Powell, you mommy blogging now?” JT asked her, clearly amused as he took in her appearance the second she stepped foot in the precinct. 

In her black Lululemon leggings, navy zip-up, a gray beanie that had been in her drawer for ages–deciding to wear it as she’d corralled her curls into a braid that hung down her back–and rainy day appropriate Kamik Sienna duck boots, Dani belatedly realized that she probably looked just like one of those insufferable instagram moms, especially with a snoozing Zahra resting against her in a carrier harness.

“JT, I’m still from Highbridge and if I didn’t have this child strapped to my chest…” Dani threatened, smiling thinly. A lot had changed for her since marrying Malcolm but not _that_ much.

“Yeah, yeah.” JT chuckled, obviously not taking his good friend and coworker seriously in her Mommy getup, complete with an attached baby Bright. “Hey, Bright, there’s some Upper Eastside mom here to see you.”

Her husband popped his head out of the conference room, his brow furrowed as he’d likely expected Jessica Whitly. Dani watched as Malcolm broke out into a dimpled smile at the sight of the two of them, “There’s _my_ Upper Eastside mom.”

“You know, I don’t have to take this. We can go home and wait for you there.” Dani glared as she didn’t appreciate that nickname _at all_. And they didn’t even live on the Upper Eastside, they lived in Lower Manhattan. Though if she’d made that distinction, it would only give JT more reason to needle her.

Malcolm laughed as he kissed her cheek, ignoring her peevishness and quickly unstrapping Zahra from her chest. “And there’s my sweetheart,” he cooed as Zahra remained conked out as even asleep, she recognized the safety of her father’s arms.

“What are you doing?” Malcolm broke into her reverie as she drifted back into the present.

“Packing.” 

“Are you?” Malcolm smirked as he went over to Zahra, scooping her up, rewarded with her silver bell giggles as he pressed kisses to her little face.

Dani rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t hang out in here as much as I do, Daddy.”

Malcolm smiled softly, his attention still fixated on their little girl. She knew it was still a completely abstract feeling for him, looking at their daughter and seeing himself as Zahra’s eyes were the exact same ice blue as his own. “That is a title I’m still getting used to.”

“I know the feeling,” Dani said as she wrapped her arms around Malcolm’s waist from behind. He’d shed his layers–his suit coat, vest and tie. The top buttons undone on his crisp light blue dress shirt and his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. She kissed his shoulder. “But this is everything.”

“It most definitely is.”

–––––––––––––––––––––

“I think that covers it,” Dani appraised the bags in the trunk of the Range Rover that Malcolm had surprised her with as her “push present.” She had been even more surprised that Malcolm actually knew what that was.

He’d grinned saying that he thought she and Zahra needed something stylish to get around in. This car had probably been stylish coming from the factory once upon a time but after her husband was finished with it, ordering a matte black paint job, black rims and grill and blood red and black interior with her initials embroidered on the headrest–it was quite literally the sexiest car she’d ever seen.

“Uh…why does Zahra have more luggage than we do?” Malcolm turned to her with raised brows after he finished securing their daughter in her carseat.

“…Don’t we...have a flight to catch?” Dani said quickly, ignoring her husband’s annoying smirk as she clicked the trunk closed on her key remote and slid into the driver’s seat. She wasn’t interested in hearing how she was doing too much. She was doing just enough, thank you very much.

–––––––––––––––––-

“My peanut,” Ainsley cooed as she took Zahra out of her carrier basket the second Malcolm and Dani crossed the threshold of her SoHo apartment, happy to see her niece dressed in the adorable knit peach hooded onesie with the sweet little cat ears she’d bought her. 

Ainsley watched as her brother unloaded all of Zahra’s things which had started to make quite a pile in the corner of her living room. “Do babies actually need all this stuff?” she asked, starting to get a little worried. She’d babysat before and there really wasn’t much to it but all of this honestly looked a bit intimidating.

Dani opened her mouth to respond. “No, they don’t,” Malcolm finished for her with his wife rolling her eyes. 

“Anyways, Ainsley, thank you for doing this for us. I have no idea what Bright promised you but I hope it’s good.” Dani said with a smile, giving her a hug. 

“Oh, it’s _very_ good.” Ainsley’s smirk widened as her brother scowled while he placed Zahra’s bottles in the refrigerator. 

For the first time, Malcolm had been introduced to the world of compromise and he didn’t appear to like it one bit but Ainsley didn’t care. He _would_ be attending family dinner for a month and the three of them _would_ get through it the way they used to and hopefully, no one stormed away from the dining room table before dinner was served.

“If you need _anything_. Just call me, okay?” Dani said to her as she kissed Zahra goodbye.

“No, call _me_.” Malcolm said as he gave Zahra his goodbye kisses, knowing that Dani would be checking her phone every ten minutes.

“Guys, Zahri and I will be fine,” Ainsley said reassuringly. As annoying as her brother was, seeing him with his wife and daughter was incredibly sweet and through she’d never admit it to his face, she was really proud of him. “Don’t worry, this’ll be a piece of cake.”

Ainsley knew Malcolm’s long road to happiness had been rocky to say the very least and she knew she hadn’t exactly helped when she’d thrown him under the bus about his lack of success in the romance department on camera during her interview with their father. 

That said, Ainsley was endlessly happy that her brother had found real love–true love–with a great girl like Dani. The model-esque cop was someone Ainsley knew had his back regardless and having Malcolm’s back was definitely _not_ the easiest thing in the world but Dani took on everything he came with–all of his demons–as if they were her own. She didn’t believe in soulmates but if such a thing did exist, she’d say her brother had been lucky to find his.

It pleased Ainsley to see Malcolm radiantly happy as opposed to stuck repeating the same cycle of toxicity as their parents with that box sleeping freak their mother had preferred, a bitch who had done nothing but screw him over repeatedly. 

Though she and Malcolm fought like cats and dogs and they always had, at the end of the day, Ainsley always did what she could to protect him and she was happy that she didn’t need to anymore. 

Instead of cleaning up her brother’s messes, she now was looking after his daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

“So how’s it feel to be back here?” Dani asked as they stood in Tercentenary Theatre, the expansive grassy area at the very center of Harvard Yard surrounded by the memories of things Malcolm hadn’t thought about in ages.

After the short plane trip to Boston, Malcolm had ushered Dani into a waiting town car, in pursuit of their suite at the Boston Harbor Hotel. His wife had been floored by large picture window that gave them a direct view of the waterfront and he’d been happy that his selection made her happy as Ainsley made him swear he wouldn’t book a suite at the Liberty, a boutique hotel on Beacon Hill that had once been a jail. 

Looking at the pictures, Malcolm had found the Liberty’s repurposed architecture rather charming but _“Nothing says romance like a night in a former prison, dingus,”_ Ainsley had said sarcastically when she’d called him to be nosy in regards to the reason he needed a babysitter so badly.

Ainsley had been right, though Malcolm would never tell her that to her face. That said, seeing the delight on Dani’s face as she took in the classic Boston styled suite was entirely worth it.

Malcolm turned to Dani, smiling as he watched the wind carry her boundless nearly black curls. It was quite something whenever he thought about the many versions of her he saw on a daily basis. 

He saw her as Detective Powell and now he saw her as Mommy, but it had truly been awhile since he’d seen her as Dani. In her ankle length dark jeans, black flats, navy and white checkered button up and black tweed trench coat, Malcolm was reminded of those times they’d spent hanging out all day in the East Village as newlyweds.

“I don’t know, really.” Malcolm finally answered her question. He honestly didn’t know how it felt to be back in Cambridge at Harvard. He’d didn’t expect that he’d have any reason to come back here and certainly not for the simple reason of spending a day with his wife. “Here is where I first started going by _Bright_. I thought that this would be the time I could start over. I thought I could be someone else. I didn’t have to be Malcolm Whitly anymore–I didn’t have to be defined by that _name_ anymore.”

“I mean, isn’t that what college is about through? Finding yourself? Choosing who you wanna be?” Dani asked thoughtfully, switching the bag from The Coop with the tiny crimson Harvard onesie for Zahra and the gray v-neck with the Harvard crest for Zahra’s mom that he’d purchased upon arrival to her other hand.

“That’s true but instead of changing, college only made me more of who I already was,” he said as he glanced down, not meeting her eyes. Malcolm knew he could tell Dani _anything_ and he did, but it was always hard revisiting the person he used to be. “I would visit my father even then. I thought it was fine because I was in grad school then and I was fine. All of that happened _so long ago_ and it was for my thesis and my committee would be _so impressed_ that I got real time insight from The Surgeon. I…didn’t realize until much later that a piece of me died with each and every visit.”

Dani looked at her husband, hating the bitterness that had seeped into his voice and the pain–pain she tried so very hard to ease–that had found its way back into the ice clear eyes she loved so much.

She hadn’t been there back then but Dani knew firsthand how those visits _destroyed_ him. She remembered the first time she’d gone with Malcolm to see Martin. They hadn’t been together then but that certainly hadn’t stopped her from falling in love with him, a fact that had come back to slap her in the face as she watched him nearly get blown to bits as he’d held an unstable landmine earlier that morning.

They’d gone to Claremont Psychiatric to speak to Malcolm’s father about their _Count of Monte Cristo_ case or at least that had been the plan. 

Dani remembered what it felt like to step into that cell and come face to face with the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper. She’d been calm but then again she always was while on the job. She’d felt Malcolm stiffen at her side and she’d looked to him right as he’d looked at her because they both somehow _knew_. 

Just then, any fear Dani might’ve felt looking at the imposing man with his demented grin was completely overshadowed by her immense scorn for all he’d done and repeatedly did to someone who had begun to mean a lot to her.

That said, _this trip_ was about the two of them not Martin Whitly and Dani wouldn’t let her husband get lost in old hurt–not anymore. Not again.

“Speaking of making you more of who you already are, something tells me you spent a lotta time there.” She pointed to an incredibly impressive building that looked more like a courthouse than a library.

Dani smiled when the light returned to Malcolm’s eyes. “Widener? Not really. Houghton, though? Most definitely,” he said with a grin, lacing his fingers through hers. Malcolm knew what Dani was doing because she’d been doing it long before they’d gotten together and he couldn’t have been more grateful for it and for her.

“What’s the difference?” She asked as she followed his gaze to a smaller though still very impressive library nearby.

“Houghton holds all of the rare books and manuscripts,” Malcolm smirked, remembering fondly the hours he spent in the reading rooms, completely engrossed in papers written by Emerson, Johnson and Keats. He obviously hadn’t been a humanities major by any stretch but there really hadn’t been anywhere else he could find the type of solitude that would ease his troubled mind back then.

Dani grinned as she bumped his shoulder. “Nerd.”

––––––––––––––––––

“So there’s the dorm I stayed in freshman year,” Malcolm pointed out as they walked south of the Yard, near the Charles River. 

“ _You_ stayed in a dorm?” Dani’s brows raised incredulously. Though this particular building didn’t look much like a dorm in her opinion and the crest she saw handing from a pole outside of it, she recognized from one of Malcolm’s old shirts that she’d stolen.

Malcolm smirked, bumping _her_ shoulder at the idea that his wife thought he was too boujee as she would say to do things normal college freshmen did. “Of course! Adams House, it was actually for upperclassmen but my mother pulled some strings.”

“Of course, she did,” Dani replied dryly.

––––––––––––––––––––

“I wonder if the Triage nurse remembers me?” Malcolm had wondered aloud as he and Dani walked hand and hand across the Salt and Pepper Bridge from Cambridge back to Boston as he pointed out nearby Mass General. Unfortunately, he’d been just as accident prone then as he was now.

“Yeah…well, we’re not gonna find out.” Dani said giving him a look as she’d spent enough time at the hospital recently. Seven hours to be exact. “Besides, you owe me lunch at the Seaport.”

Her husband had delivered, taking her to Mastro’s Ocean Club, a trendy seafood restaurant on the Harbor near their hotel, before spending the rest of the day exploring the Seaport district. Doing nothing but enjoying each other’s company in a way they hadn’t really been able to do since before she’d gotten pregnant.

Now, looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, running her hands over the white mini dress with the plunging neckline that fell to mid-thigh, Dani actually felt like herself again.

While she’d been fortunate and hadn’t developed any symptoms of Postpartum Depression after having Zahra, it still had been a struggle for her actually _feel_ herself again especially after spending three months in nothing but Malcolm’s old shirts and pajamas, then going back to work and back into her cop clothes. 

Of course, her husband told her every day that she was beautiful. Dani absolutely appreciated his sweetness, but Malcolm had also told her that during those months nearing the end of her term when she’d been super pregnant and hadn’t _at all_ felt that way.

As she fluffed her curls and swiped on her preferred shade of nude pink liquid lipstick that was sure to stay on through dinner and also _other things_ –if Malcolm played his cards right–Dani actually thought she looked pretty cute. 

Admittedly, her body had changed a bit since she’d had Zahra. Dani was still really quite slim and she could see her abs again but she did have a few more curves than she had previously. Her now curvier figure hadn’t at all escaped her husband’s notice as she was almost constantly swatting his hands away from her hips or ass but she could admit that they looked _good_ in this dress. 

Dani smiled to herself knowing that Malcolm had noticed how down she’d been feeling lately and that he’d sought to remedy it. 

Though they’d had many ups and downs–mostly before they’d gotten together– one thing Dani knew for certain was that Malcolm was her once in a lifetime. It was moments like these that reminded her why she hadn’t stopped fighting for him, even on those days when she’d really wanted to. 

––––––––––––––––––-

Adjusting his slate gray suit coat, Malcolm checked the Patek Philippe on the inside of his wrist. They had time until their dinner reservation at the top of the Prudential Tower but it always amazed him how he wore so many more layers than Dani did but always managed to get ready first.

Looking up as he heard stiletto heels on the hardwood of the bedroom area of their suite, Malcolm’s eyes widened as he took in his incredibly stunning wife in the little white dress he’d chosen for her. 

Malcolm knew Dani had been feeling a bit self-conscious and rather unsure of herself after having Zahra. He’d actually known that when the rather large box of Gymshark workout clothes she’d ordered had been delivered to their doorstep a week after Zahra was born.

He'd slipped out of work a bit early one day, thoroughly risking Gil’s ire to go shopping with the intent of selecting something that would make Dani feel confident again. Malcolm had wanted his wife to remember that she was just as gorgeous on the outside as she was inside. 

“Look at you.” Malcolm smiled as he spun her around slowly, getting a good look.

Dani demurely looked up at him through her lashes, an adorable blush heating her cheeks as she smiled. “I guess, Mommy’s still got it?” 

“You never lost it,” Malcolm smirked as he kissed his wife softly before slipping the black quilted Chanel purse over her shoulder that he’d bought for her birthday a couple of weeks ago. He led her by the hand out of their suite and to the last part of what had been a decidedly perfect day.

–––––––––––––––––––––

“This view is insane.” Dani murmured as she gazed out of the window next to their table at the beautiful nighttime Boston skyline.

“It really is beautiful.” Malcolm agreed though his attention wasn’t fixed on the lights covering the city.

“You’re so cheesy,” Dani wrinkled her nose, smirking over her wine glass as she realized that her husband had been talking about her. “But I guess you can stay…”

“You guess?” Malcolm questioned with a smirk of his own before his phone beeped, a text from his sister stealing his attention and his _very_ good mood.

_Zahri’s doing good but mom just showed up…_

He and Dani were having the best night. This was _not_ what he needed.

“Bright? What’s going on? Is it Zahra?” Dani asked, now on high alert as she noticed the blood drain from her husband’s too handsome and too expressive face. A face that always told her everything she needed to know without having to ask. 

Ainsley had been giving them updates on their baby periodically throughout the day. Actually, she’d given them to Malcolm per his request as he knew she’d spend the day waiting for them if Ainsley were to text her phone. If there was something wrong with her child, Dani needed to know and she needed to know right now.

Malcolm sighed, sensing defeat. “Mother just showed up at Ains’s. Apparently, she does that to her too…” He watched as the alarm on his wife’s pretty face shifted into outrage. Fire replacing the warm softness that he’d seen just minutes prior in her deep brown eyes.

“I don’t think so.” Dani stood up, angrily tossing her napkin onto the table.

Malcolm quickly reached over the table for Dani’s arm, feeling his would-be prize slip farther away from him with each passing second. “Dani, please. We’re in Boston, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

“Bright, I will Amtrak back to Manhattan _tonight_.” She said through her teeth as she leaned in, making sure he understood her fully, once she’d sat back down.

 _She would_ and Malcolm knew he had to fix this. He did not bring Dani all the way out here for their night to end in an argument when he had been looking very forward to it ending with business.

––––––––––––––––––––

Ainsley had just given Zahra a bottle according to the very detailed schedule Malcolm had left on her refrigerator. So far she’d been right. Babysitting had been a piece of cake as Zahra was super chill, something she must’ve inherited from Dani.

Zahra didn’t fuss or cry and while Malcolm and Dani had left her play mat and more toys than necessary, Ainsley was content to spend the day with her little peanut in her arms as she hung out at home, watching as Zahra happily tugged at her hair in between catnaps.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were watching Malcolm’s little angel.” Her mother said as she’d strolled into her apartment unannounced, almost certainly looking to vent about either her father or her brother. 

Well, babysitting _had_ been a piece of cake.

“Dear God, she looks just like your brother.” Jessica said, peering over Ainsley’s shoulder at Zahra, still sounding mystified that Malcolm in fact had a baby. Ainsley could admit that was fair as for the longest, Malcolm could barely take care of himself.

“Well, he _is_ her dad.” Ainsley remarked as she reached over to the coffee table, careful not to disturb her niece as she put her ringing phone on speaker.

“ _Why is Mother there?!_ ” Her brother’s supremely irritated voice filled the living room. Judging by the sharp intake of breath from her mother who’d put her red Birkin on the floor and settled into one of her white leather chairs that dotted the living room, this was about to become… _very bad_.

“Mal–"

“ _Don’t!_ ” Her brother cut her off coldly. “Ainsley, you had _one_ job and that was _not_ to entertain mother in the presence of my daughter.”

“Malcolm–" Ainsley groaned, hoping that he would take the hint and just seriously _stop talking_.

“Dani does not want her around Zahra.” Malcolm hissed, continuing on as though she hadn’t spoken. “I swear to God, I have not been out with my wife in well over five months and I will be damned if I let the two of you ruin my night!”

Ainsley rolled her eyes so hard, she thought they’d get stuck in the back of her head. _Of course_ , her brother was putting her directly in the eye of Hurricane Jessica just so he could have sex with his wife. 

_He will pay for this._

Knowing Malcolm the way she did, there was no way he and Dani would stop at just one kid. When the day her sister-in-law inevitably announced that she was pregnant _again_ , for this very reason, Ainsley’s babysitting asking price just went up _exponentially_.

“Listen, I don’t care what you have to do or what you have to say, _send her home_ or the deal is off!” Malcolm said as he hung up unceremoniously.

“Dada?” Zahra questioned once the line went dead. Her smart little peanut recognizing her father’s voice, even his annoyingly pissy one.

“Dada’s cranky, yes he is.” Ainsley cooed as she tickled her niece, drawing her adorable giggles. Looking up at her mother–who after hearing all of that–could only be described as irate as Jessica’s usually stoic face had gone red with fury. “It looks like he’s not the only one…”

“Is this a joke? Am I a joke to the both of you?” Jessica huffed, standing up. “Also what was your brother talking about? What deal?”

 _Goddamnit Malcolm._ Ainsley took a deep breath, having no choice but to come clean. “Malcolm wanted to go out of town with Dani this weekend and I was supposed to be working, so in exchange for me babysitting Zahra, I made him promise to attend family dinner for a month.”

“Wait, so your brother–my son–had to be bribed into going to the home he grew up in to have dinner with his mother?” Jessica asked incredulously, her brows meeting her hairline. “This has _everything_ to do with Princess Danika, doesn’t it? What Princess Danika wants, Princess Danika gets.”

Ainsley sighed. She had a few guesses as to why Malcolm had made himself so scarce lately. 

She’d had a hand in planning Malcolm and Dani’s wedding as well as Dani’s baby shower which gave her a front row seat to the level of discomfort her sister-in-law had around her mother. 

Ainsley had also been there at family dinner a couple of months after the two had gotten married when her mother offhandedly accused Dani of having her brother brainwashed due to his then uncharacteristic show of responsibility and adult-like behavior. She also remembered her sister-in-law smiling pleasantly as she replied, _“This is what it looks like when he’s with a girl who actually loves him.”_ The airiness of Dani’s tone only barely disguised the venom simmering underneath. Ainsley had been deeply amused as Dani was the only person on earth who could shade her mother within an inch of her life while still maintaining a perfect veneer of politeness. 

Looking back at it, there was nothing amusing at what was playing out in front of her eyes right now and Ainsley wasn’t comfortable with her sister-in-law being disparaged, especially while Zahra was in her arms. “That’s not fair to Dani.” 

“What about what’s fair to _me_?” her mother shot back, growing more heated and gearing up for a hissy fit, not unlike the one Malcolm had just thrown a few minutes ago. “Honestly, I don’t have the patience for this.”

Jessica snatched up her purse, stalking towards the door. Her Manolo Blahnik stilettos clacking menacingly against the hardwood. 

“When you speak to Malcolm again and I’m sure you will. Tell him, I would like _a word_.” Jessica’s voice dropped an octave as it always did when she wasn’t messing around–not that she ever did. She dramatically slammed the door causing Zahra to cry at the sudden noise and Ainsley to rethink every single one of her life choices that had led her to this point.

_Malcolm would so pay for this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harvard Yard is the crossroads of the Harvard University campus and at the center is Tercentenary Theatre. The main library on campus in Widener and Houghton is the Special Collections library. The Coop is the Harvard Cooperative Society which is the college store.


	4. Chapter 4

“I think that went well.” Malcolm exhaled as he re-entered the restaurant.

He walked over to their table only to find Dani with her arms crossed, glaring at the untouched plate of Brie and toast as if it had personally offended her.

“I don’t like this, Bright.” 

“Will more wine help?” Malcolm smiled, hoping to disarm her as he refilled her half empty glass. Dani sucked in her cheeks as her jaw flexed, completely unamused. _Apparently not._ “I talked to Ainsley and it’s handled.”

“Is it, Bright?” Dani quirked a brow, narrowing her eyes. 

“Do you trust me?” He quirked a brow and narrowed his eyes in return, mirroring his wife’s expression. The way she often did to him.

Dani softened, the tension in her shoulders easing at his question. “You know I do.”

“Then let’s just enjoy the rest of our night. Let’s not let my mother ruin this too.”

Malcolm reached over the table, lacing his fingers with hers. More that anything, he wanted to make Dani happy and right up until this moment, she had been and he didn’t want that to change. He had enough experience with making her unhappy and he never wanted that to repeat itself.

He found himself rewarded when Dani smiled his favorite smile–the one that made her dimples appear. It was clear that she didn’t want to spend the night upset anymore than he did. “You know, what? You’re right,” she replied as the sparkle returned to her dark brown eyes.

“Mmm…I _love_ when you say that.” Malcolm bit his lip, a grin stretching across his lips. “Say it again.”

Dani giggled as she sipped her wine, shaking her head. “You’re a mess.”

“But I’m a mess that works. _Obviously_.”

––––––––––––––––

After the momentary setback, the rest of their dinner had gone amazingly well though Malcolm had mostly watched Dani eat as that still wasn’t something he did very much. 

That said, Dani did force him into eating a little as she also often did and just as she’d done during their lunch at the Seaport. At home, his wife had a habit of literally feeding him–usually her morning Avocado toast and Malcolm honestly wondered how Dani could think she could be anything but the best mother. 

After all, Dani kind of mothered him–not that he minded very much as he knew it was just an extension of the _love_ she had for him. A love that had taught him to love himself–something he’d gone his entire life never wanting or even knowing how to do.

If Malcolm were being truly honest, that was probably one of the reasons he’d been so drawn to Dani as soon as he’d started getting to know her. She was _so_ nurturing and he’d never really had that before. No one had _ever_ taken care of him.

It was something Malcolm didn’t even realize he was missing until he’d found himself falling in love with his best friend who’d also become his partner. Unfortunately, he’d done nothing but make mistakes with Dani back then but he’d always felt the invisible tether–that string she’d tied around his heart. The same string that kept pulling him back whenever he grew scared and wanted to run.

Returning to the present, Malcolm slipped out of his suit coat, unbuttoning his vest as he watched Dani step out of the strappy sky-high stilettos she’d worn to dinner once they’d gotten back to their suite. 

Dani walked over to him, immediately loosening his tie and helping him with his cufflinks as she did most nights. His wife liked to relieve him of his layers and Malcolm always found the gesture incredibly intimate and another way she took care of him. Dani smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her deep brown eyes brighter than the Boston skyline outside.

“What are you thinkin’ about?” She asked softly, pulling him away from his reverie.

Malcolm pulled his wife closer, resting his hands low on her hips. “You, darling…always you,” he whispered against Dani’s lips as he kissed her slowly, parting her lips with his own. He smiled at the little sounds he’d coaxed from the back of her throat as she tugged gently on the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Something tells me _this_ is the real reason you brought me here.” Dani said amused and breathless as she tipped her head back, giving him full access to the elegant column of her neck. She shivered at the feeling of her husband’s rough stubble pleasantly scraping against her bare skin as he trailed open mouthed kisses down the side of her throat.

Malcolm laughed, his breath caressing her neck. “I had to take you out first. After all, you _are_ a lady.” 

A laugh that sounded far more like a sigh to her own ears bubbled out from in between her lips. “You’re so terrible.”

“ _The worst._ ” Malcolm agreed, easing the strap of her dress over her shoulder as his teeth grazed her exposed collarbone.

“Unzip me.” 

Dani felt her husband’s smile against her skin as she knew he loved nothing more than to be directed–to be told what to do and what she wanted.

Almost the second the words left her mouth, she felt her cute white dress pool at her feet.

––––––––––––––––

“Good Morning, Sunshine.” Malcolm said softly as he felt Dani stir from her place on his chest. Thinking back to the not-so-distant past, he couldn’t believe how far he’d come. Not once did he ever believe that a time would come where he could lie with his wife in his arms unrestrained without having to worry about some repressed terror from long ago unearthing itself from the darkest recesses of his mind, coming back to threaten Dani’s safety and his peace.

Though the night terrors were still apart of his life and they likely always would be, they didn’t rule him they way they used to. 

Simply put, Dani made him feel _safe_. It was something Malcolm had felt the first day he met her when he’d literally tackled Dani in the middle of the police station, desperate to get away from his own mind. It was also something he couldn’t deny as when he found himself in crisis and only she could make it better.

“Wasn’t that your bird?” Dani asked sleepily as she burrowed deeper into his chest.

Malcolm snorted as his fingers tangled in her wild curls. “Don’t make it weird.” 

“Shut up, Bright.” Dani said affectionately, pressing a kiss over his heart–the heart that had always beat in time with hers. 

Dani rolled over, untangling herself from Malcolm before grabbing the fluffy hotel robe off of the nearby chair. She slipped into it without lowering the covers from her chest, ignoring her husband’s cheeky smirk at her elaborate show of modesty. “How long until check out?”

“Couple hours. I could get it extended if you want.” Malcolm turned over on his side, propping himself up on an elbow.

“Nah…it’s time to get home. I miss my baby.” Dani said as immeasurable softness overtook her features the way it always did whenever she spoke of their daughter.

“I do too.” Malcolm said, knowing his face mirrored hers whenever he did the same.

 _Zahri had a good night. She was an angel and btw, you were on speaker. See you in a few hours!_ His sister’s text read once he’d gotten around to checking his messages.

The incredibly pleasant haze that surrounded him, evaporated immediately as Malcolm remembered his admittedly one-sided conversation with Ainsley last night. _Dani doesn’t want her around Zahra_ was what he’d nearly shouted at her and apparently his mother had heard every word. 

If his sister thought she was getting anything from him, she was sorely mistaken as he was almost certain he’d been set up. Malcolm closed his eyes, trying to call to mind any one of his daily affirmations in order to keep from absolutely losing it. 

In the midst of his struggle for calm, he looked up at Dani busying herself around the suite as she selected an outfit for the day. Malcolm realized now what needed to be done.

He knew that in doing better by Dani and also by himself, he couldn’t run from the things he didn’t want to face. Malcolm didn’t do that anymore and he wouldn’t do that now.

––––––––––––––––––

Malcolm watched as Dani emerged from the bathroom in an army green shirtdress that fell to her ankles and nude toned flats. He’d waited for her in the living room area of the suite, trying to think of a tactful way to broach a topic that neither of them likely wanted to talk about. He could think of none other than just coming right out and asking.

“Dani,” he beckoned her over to him, smiling a bit once she took a seat beside him on the royal blue couch, tucking her legs underneath her just as she did at home. “Before we head back to the city, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

Dani tilted her head curiously, waiting for him to continue. “Why don’t you want my mother around Zahra? I know you told me it’s about keeping her safe but I think there’s more to it and I need you to tell me what it is. Please.”

Dani took a deep breath and Malcolm surveyed the myriad of emotions that flitted across her beautiful face before settling on one that could only be described as _pain_. The kind that rushed to the surface overwhelming everything in its path and suddenly he was reminded of the first time he saw her like this. 

Malcolm remembered it to be during one of their first cases together–a case that had been personal to Dani for reasons he hadn’t been able to understand right then. Instead of profiling her–extracting the answers he sought–she told him all he needed to do was ask her and he did. He’d told her that he wanted to help her. The walls she’d constructed came crashing down all at once and he'd wondered then how many times someone had even offered. He had been willing to guess not many but he had and he wanted to–just like he wanted to now.

Malcolm reached for her, bringing his wife closer to him, needing her to feel his presence. Needing Dani to know that whatever she was feeling, he was there and he wouldn’t leave her to feel it alone.

“You’re right…it’s not just about Zahra’s safety. I mean, obviously it’s that too but I…just…don’t trust her, Bright, like I know she gave me your grandmother’s necklace on our wedding day and that was really nice but literally _nothing_ has changed. She still showed up whenever she wanted, acting like it’s _me_ who shouldn’t be here and I can’t deal with it anymore. But the worst is that I just can’t help but remember how I could give all the love in the world to you...” Dani trailed off, trying to get herself under control.

“And you have.” Malcolm said quietly, squeezing her hand.

Dani glanced down at their intertwined fingers, the rather large diamond on her engagement ring glittering in the sunlight streaming in from the waterfront window as she tried not to cry. She refused to give Jessica Whitly her tears and she refused to let her frustration get the better of her. 

Dani was living a Bronx fairytale–a girl from nowhere got to marry the prince and live happily ever after. She’d truly gained everything but she’d found out the hard way that everything _costs_.

“I’d like to think so,” Dani said as the emotion she tried to suppress broke her voice. “But despite that, I was seen as inherently not good enough because your mother looked at a girl who deliberately wanted to hurt you and saw someone who was. I can’t get over that and despite being a _Milton_ now, I know I was never supposed to be and if it was left up to your mother, there would be another girl in my spot, taking my place. I can’t trust someone like that with my child, Bright.”

Malcolm let all that Dani shared with him overtake and settle heavily on his shoulders and in his heart. She’d shared something similar with him on the day of their wedding rehearsal but he had no idea how deeply this ran for her. Malcolm was a lot of things but naive wasn’t one of them. He understood exactly what Dani was telling him and though he understood, it didn’t mean that this knowledge didn’t absolutely _kill_ him. 

Malcolm knew he had a certain amount of culpability in her feeling this way. He knew he could’ve stepped up and been brave back then but he hadn’t. He could’ve done more for her but he hadn’t. He also knew that this wasn’t the time to make everything about his mistakes and his guilt, this was about his wife and the way _she’d_ been made to feel. 

Knowing what he knew now and knowing how long Dani had been carrying this within her, Malcolm realized that every time his wife allowed his mother to behave in the way she always had, it was a sacrifice to her peace of mind. A sacrifice that had been for him and him alone. Malcolm couldn’t allow that anymore.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said, once able to find his voice again as he tenderly brushed soft curls away from Dani’s face. Malcolm hated the sadness that flooded her dark eyes at what he knew was an incredibly hard admission.

“That’s it? You’re not gonna tell me to mend fences?” Dani said with raised brows. 

Malcolm would never as that had to happen _only_ when she was ready and if she never was, then he would accept that too because he couldn’t live with Dani’s misery. He couldn’t live with knowing he could prevent it but instead choosing not to.

“I’m not and I can’t speak for my mother and what she wanted for me but I can say that _you_ , Danika Katheryn Powell-Bright, have made each and every one of my dreams come true and there is _nothing_ I’m more proud of than our little girl and the life we’ve built together,” Malcolm said softly, his thumb gently running along her jaw as his hand–the one she’d once coined his “never-better” shaky hand–wound beneath her curls.

Dani looked up at her husband. She was entirely undone by the wealth of compassion she saw reflected through his nearly translucent eyes. The tears she could no longer hide nor keep to herself fell openly. 

She didn’t want to talk about this with him and she didn’t want to admit this to him. She didn’t want to be that wife who made her husband choose between her and his family. Dani didn’t want to be selfish and have him end up resenting her because of it but Malcolm’s tenderness–his _love_ reminded her that he never could. 

Malcolm was her partner _always_ and when she hurt, so did he.


	5. Chapter 5

After arriving at JFK, they’d split as Dani took the Range Rover to Soho over to Ainsley’s to pick up Zahra and Malcolm took a town car to the Upper Eastside. His sister had texted him once more, letting him know that his mother wanted a word with him. After spending half an hour holding his wife and whispering into her hair the type of reassurances she should’ve never needed, Malcolm was looking forward to having _a word_ himself.

“Well, look who it is,” his mother said archly over the rim of her delicate tea cup as he entered the living room of his family home. “I’m surprised you remembered where your mother lives. Wait, does Princess Danika know you’re here? I’m sure it would make her _very angry_.”

The only one getting _very angry_ at the moment was him but Malcolm wouldn’t give his mother the satisfaction. 

“I know you’re upset but what you will not do is disrespect the mother of my child.” Malcolm said evenly as he sat down in one of the antique chairs across from his mother, taking a small bit of pleasure at Jessica’s stunned gasp.

Malcolm honestly didn’t come here to fight with his mother. He only wanted to clear the air and come to an understanding that would work for all three of them, though it was obvious that his mother wasn’t interested.

Jessica’s brows raised skyward. “ _I’m_ being disrespectful? Did I or did I not hear how Danika does not want me around my granddaughter? After all I’ve done to make her feel apart of this family.”

“Mother, let me be very clear.” Malcolm said, trying very hard to keep his composure at the sound of his mother’s self-righteous indignation. “The only reason you’ve been allowed the time you’ve had with Zahra is because _Dani_ allowed it so. _You_ don’t have to be in our lives but because of her kindness and her love for me–your son– _she_ lets you.”

Jessica angrily set down her teacup, the delicate china clattering loudly on the table. “Well, please enlighten me. What exactly did I do to make Danika hate me so much?” 

Jessica did drop in on them regularly or she did before her granddaughter was born but it was merely out of habit. When Malcolm had gotten engaged, she’d told him that she wouldn’t do that anymore but she told Malcolm lots of things. She owned Malcolm’s building and she was used to coming and going whenever the mood struck her but that surely couldn’t be enough to warrant being excommunicated.

“Remember that girl you forced on me?

Jessica laughed though the absence of humor was obvious to her own ears. “I didn’t force anything on you, dear.” It _would be_ just like her son to dredge up the past in order to make her pay for the present. “It wasn’t like I held a gun to your head. You could’ve dated whomever you liked.”

Malcolm tilted his head, astounded that his mother would insult his intelligence in this way. “You really believe you weren’t playing puppet master back then? So obviously you don’t remember how you insisted I date the first gentlewoman caller–oh, excuse me–the _only_ gentlewoman caller that would actually come to the house and talk to you?” 

His mother’s eyes narrowed at the dig but it didn’t matter because Jessica was doing what she tended to do with all of the problems she caused, which is deny their existence. She wouldn’t deny this–his wife’s tears made sure of it.

“You really wanna know why Dani doesn’t want you around? You knew how close we were back then. You knew she was pretty much my best friend and you even asked her to look out for me once but never did it occur that she could be something more. You made her feel unworthy and that doesn’t go away,” Malcolm said finding calm in a truth his mother didn’t want to hear but absolutely needed to if they were ever going to move forward. 

Jessica opened and closed her mouth searching for something to say. His mother stuck in a rare shocked silence. Whether she was searching for platitudes, more denials or outright lies, Malcolm didn’t know nor did he care. Twice Dani had shared with him that she’d been made to feel like she didn’t belong in his world–a world that didn’t exist without her–but there would be no third time. This would end today, Malcolm make sure of it because that was what it truly meant to do better for her.

Malcolm rose slowly as he had very little else to say. “Honestly, Mother. Just ask yourself why is it that you felt more comfortable with someone who came into our lives with the intent of hurting me than you did with someone who only wanted to love me? When you can answer that, then you’ll understand.” 

“ _Malcolm_. You are truly unbelievable. You are _always_ so quick to think the absolute worst of me. So quick to make _me_ the monster.” Jessica said incredulously, shaking her head. She stood just as he did as this conversation was _far_ from over in her eyes. She realized that she hadn’t been great to her daughter-in-law but she also couldn’t help but feel like this was once again an opportunity for her son to invent reasons to punish her for the mistakes she made with him growing up. “It was bad enough you had your father filling your head with lies about me and now, it’s your wife telling you how _horrible_ I am.”

Malcolm clasped his hands, wanting very much to go home to his family as he was growing tired of a conversation his mother was preventing from going anywhere. He was suddenly made aware of just how frustrating it must be for others when he made everything about himself. 

“Mother, this is not about _us_ ,” he said slowly, wanting her to actually _listen_ to him as so far Jessica had been unwilling to do anything of the sort. “What you did or didn’t do for me 20 years ago doesn’t matter anymore. I have a child of my own to protect and that starts with protecting _her_ mother. If you can’t grasp that, then there’s nothing left for me to say.” With that Malcolm turned on his heel. His wife and baby were waiting for him and now his mother knew the truth. What she chose to do with it was completely up to her.

“Malcolm, wait!” Jessica called out to her son’s retreating back. They were on a precipice– _she_ was on a precipice. Her son would go home to his wife and child and she would be effectively drawn out of his life for good. She’d miscalculated _badly_ and because of it, the daughter-in-law she did have hated her and she could honestly see why. Her son turned around, his brows raised expectantly. “Danika…was _different_.” 

Jessica had seen many expressions pass through her son’s face–a face that looked so very much like her own–over the years as he slowly turned to face her. She'd seen so much as her son wore his heart on his sleeve but she'd never seen _contempt_ before–at least not directed towards her–now at the thought that she’d once again insulted his wife. 

“ _We’re done here_.” Malcolm said lowly, the coldness of his tone enough to chill her bones.

“ _Malcolm, please_. I mean that she’s different in the way that _you’re_ different. Listen, I’ve always found Danika to be a sweet girl and I’ve always been thankful that she looks out for you on that dreadful job you’ve chosen. She understands you in a way that I guess, I didn’t like. All I wanted was for you to be normal, to get away from this murder business but you kept getting deeper into it.” Jessica pleaded– _needing_ her son understand her. Needing to see something other than the the anger that came off him in waves at the idea that she could be so despicable. 

“Remember, I was there at the Taylor wedding. I saw how the two of you looked together–how you _worked_ together. You looked happy but I wanted it on _my_ terms.”

“Why? Why couldn’t you let me be happy on _my_ terms?" Malcolm said quietly after awhile, still looking as though he found her to be among the lowest sort.

“Dear…I…I always wanted the woman you chose to be an ally. Someone I could relate to and who would relate to me in return.” Jessica admitted, finally giving voice to a selfishness that had plagued most of her dealings with her son, since he returned to New York. “You know what they say, men marry their mothers and I suppose it was hard to come to terms with you going out of your way to choose a girl who couldn't be further from me if she tried.”

Malcolm’s jaw flexed. “Dani had nothing to do with you, Mother.”

Jessica smiled bitterly. “I see that now and I apologize.”

Jessica relaxed as she slowly watched her son’s jaw unclench and the tightness ease from the crystal eyes that have always seen too much.

“I will pass along your apology,” Malcolm responded finally, though his tone held a neutrality that made it impossible to decipher what would happen next.

“I know now what Danika thinks of me, but I do love my granddaughter and I’d never do anything to hurt her.” Jessica meant it as Danika likely thought Zahra wasn’t wanted either and that couldn’t be further from the truth. “Malcolm, I want to be in Zahra's life. I mean, you as a father is more than I could’ve ever dreamt. I haven’t been the best mother and I’ve been an even worse mother-in-law but I want to be the best grandmother–though I’ll have to think of a better name–if you’ll allow it, of course.”

At that, Jessica saw the tiniest smile cross her son’s lips and for the first time today, she thought there was hope. There was hope that her son’s new family could actually be hers too but before that happened, she had to show that she understood that her presence in their lives was a _courtesy_ not a _necessity_.

Jessica had always thought that Malcolm _needed_ her. That had been wrong as from the moment the pretty crimefighter had literally crashed into his life, the only person he needed was her–the young woman he’d said his vows to a little over a year ago. 

This realization had been off-putting to say the least, because being present in the way Jessica liked was the only real way she knew how to show she cared. She wasn’t used to Malcolm actively resisting her. 

She knew when her son first returned to the city, he grudgingly tolerated family dinners and her random and often popups but he had no real problem with them–not like now. The more he resisted–the harder she’d clung to him. Jessica hadn't been able to get over the fact that she wasn’t owed his time anymore and she’d blamed her daughter-in-law for it. 

She couldn’t do that anymore.

Malcolm and Danika were one. Jessica had known that from the moment Danika had first started coming to the house for family dinner–two months before they’d announced their engagement. One couldn’t move without the other adjusting accordingly and unconsciously. She’d watched as the two communicated without speaking. She'd found such things disturbing at the time but that too had been selfish.

As Jessica realized today, her selfishness had very nearly cost her the one person she fought so hard to hold on to. Malcolm and Danika were entirely self-sufficient. She wasn’t needed–that had been made abundantly clear during their transition into new parenthood, something she’d been entirely left out of.

No, Jessica wasn’t needed but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be _wanted_ and now she would do her best for her granddaughter in order to make sure that she would be.

––––––––––––––––––––

“Hey,” Dani said craning her neck up for a kiss from where she sat on the couch, her long tanned legs stretched out in front of her. Zahra’s back pressed against her stomach as their little girl played with her mother’s rings, completely mesmerized by the shiny diamond on her finger.

Dani had shed her dress from earlier and was now in one of his old shirts with her curls tucked into a bonnet, her beautiful face free of makeup. Of all of the versions of Dani he saw, this was undoubtably his favorite as _no one_ got to see her like this but him.

“Hey,” Malcolm replied, kissing her soundly. 

“Dada!” Zahra giggled at the sound of his voice. Malcolm smiled down at her, his heart impossibly full. Zahra had started talking earlier than most children but he hadn’t been surprised as his little girl was brilliant. That said, he’d never forget the feeling of reaching for her from her play mat one night, only for her to address him for the first time.

Of course, Dani was a little sore that Zahra’s first word hadn’t been “Mama,” something Malcolm teased her about relentlessly. That said, it was times like these that made him remember that despite everything, only this mattered. Only his girls– _always_ his girls.

“Hi, sweetheart!” Malcolm cooed as Dani relinquished Zahra to him, smiling as he took in the subtle changes in his little girl. As time went on, Zahra’s skin began to shift. It had taken on a fair olive tone nearly identical to Dani’s–the way it looked in the midst of a New York winter–and her hair which been almost black at birth had lightened to a deep golden brown identical to the way his looked only in sunlight. It amazed Malcolm how Zahra had absorbed and embodied their warmth. She truly was the best of them both. "I missed you."

Dani watched her husband press kisses to their baby girl’s face, much to Zahra’s delight, feeling so incredibly soft. 

What she’d shared with Malcolm earlier had been hard, voicing those feelings had been hard but looking at her loves together like this, she knew she needed nothing else. She’d thought she paid a price for having everything, but she now knew that wasn’t true. Her loves were _hers_. Dani was Zahra’s mom and Malcolm’s wife. She didn’t have to be anything else for anyone else. 

Dani followed her husband and daughter into the kitchen, watching as Malcolm took a seat at the island. Dani was always struck by the wonder in Zahra’s little face as she gazed at her father. Malcolm’s eyes crinkled in that way she loved as Zahra’s tiny hand patted his cheek. She wondered what her baby was thinking as she looked at him. Dani wondered if _Zahra’s_ wonder stemmed from looking at a face that was so much like her own. She wondered when Zahra looked at Malcolm, if she saw herself.

“Where’d you run off to?” Dani asked because as soon as they got back to the city, she’d gone to claim the car and Malcolm had hopped into a waiting town car after kissing her quickly telling her that he had something to take care of.

“I went to talk to my mother.” Malcolm said, shifting to Zahra to one arm. Their little girl finding her preferred spot in the crook of his neck.

“How’d that go?” Dani asked evenly, trying not to go to _that place_ the mention of Jessica Whitly always sent her. Malcolm reached for her, his fingers lacing with hers as he _knew_.

“About the way you’d expect,” he admitted. “But I think there was something positive gained from it.”

“Oh, really?”

Malcolm nodded, looking up at her. “I do. I was honest with her and she was honest with me. I don’t think it was her intention to make you feel less than. I think she was just scared.”

“Why? _I_ wasn’t the one who wanted to hurt you.” Dani reminded him pointedly.

Malcolm squeezed her hand. “I know that and to a certain extent, she did too.” Before Dani could protest further, he continued. “Remember that Jocasta mother case we worked on Halloween?”

Dani nodded as it was one of their first cases together. She remembered how she’d been convinced the mother was the murderer after hearing the mother’s confession. Malcolm, however, had seen the truth from a mile away. Back then, she couldn’t understand how he’d been able to, but now she did. 

“I was her everything and then _you_ became _my_ everything. I think that scared her.” Malcolm said as Dani remained silent. Her could see the ice in her eyes defrost at his honesty. His free arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer to him and their now sleeping daughter.

“So what now?” Dani asked as her arm came around Malcolm’s shoulders, her fingers finding the dark chestnut hair at the nape of his neck.

“I don’t know, but I do know that she honestly wants to be apart of Zahra’s life. She won’t hurt her. For all of my mother’s mistakes, she _won’t_ make that one.” Malcolm replied, looking up at his wife. He could never read her as well as she read him, but he could see the beginnings of _something_. Something sanguine–something optimistic.

“I guess we’ll see.” Dani said softly. She might not trust Jessica Whitly but she trusted Malcolm Bright. Because of that, she would give Jessica time. Not with her but with Zahra and that would be enough.

**Author's Note:**

> OMG so this is the result of so many headcanons discussed with my boo, brainstorming partner in crime and also editor @2amEuphoria. MASSIVE thanks to her for help with this one. For background, I tried to combine what we've seen currently in the show with my other stories like "The Bones" and "In a Bind."


End file.
